The man who whispered to wines

For as long as I can remember, at home a good meal has always been accompanied by a good drink. This made me curious from a young age to know how that drink was made, what it would taste like, what combined best with what, etc. In 2005 I met a key person in my learning of the subject. Knowledge that has helped me enjoy what I drank much more. He is José. His full name is José Antonio Moliner Nicolás and he is the third generation of owners of the Gran Bodega del Maestrazgo, located at number 90 of Calle de Sant Pere Més Baix and one of the oldest in Ciutat Vella. I had been to other wineries, but the feeling was non-existent. In contrast, the chemistry with José was instant. He spoke my language, he didn't use technical words or those that sound good. You could tell he had a passion for his work and that he knew how to transmit it. "What I like most about my profession is being able to share my knowledge with customers. First I am in charge of tasting the wine, and then I have to be able to transmit to the customer the sensations it has produced in me. The wines I like to recommend are those that have a story behind them, a solid project, wines made by common people, human people who have opted to make a special product. All this can be transmitted in a bottle, a label and a cork stopper. It's that easy".

The history of the winery began when José's grandparents left the Maestrazgo area due to a severe frost in 1952 that severely affected the olive trees, which were very, very laden and with which they earned their living. That same year, José's grandparents arrived in Barcelona, settled down and decided to open the winery. "The first memories of the winery, we could say, are intrauterine, exaggerating a bit. From a very young age, with days of life, they would already take me down to the store and my mother told me that, with a baby's lullaby, they would put me inside a box of Montesquius cava bottles. Of the 3 siblings we are, I have always been the one who has had the most contact with the winery. It is part of my culture and my way of understanding life".

Curiously, José also inherited the winery in a time of crisis. "Well, I take 100% charge in 2007, a year before the bursting crisis. There was a bit of a power shift, my father perhaps had a more traditional vision of the world of viticulture, more traditional wines: Rioja, Ribera, etc. And I have always gone a bit further. I have always liked research more, looking for more special wines, with curious vinifications, in short, different things and I have to thank my father for trusting me and giving me free rein to do it".

The economic context meant that José's beginnings at the helm of the store were not easy. "It was time to turn things around, to look for new horizons. If we hadn't done it, 90% of the stores in Barcelona would not be open. It was then that we decided to offer the possibility of tasting wine in the winery, accompanying it with quality refreshments, and the possibility of conducting wine tastings for groups".

He adapted to the new times, dispensed with part of the warehouse, and used it to put tables, chairs, and a bar. "If we have achieved anything with this change, it is to have more contact with the client, to know more about their tastes, they have given us very valuable information about where things are going, what people are looking for".

Now, the winery maintains those traditional elements, such as the sale of bulk wine that José wants to keep, but also attracts a public that comes precisely because of the possibility of doing tastings and talking face to face with an expert. "The change is not only through the store, I believe we are facing a social change, a population change within the neighborhood, many factors have made us where we are right now. We have detected that those most interested in participating in the tastings and the different degustations are the foreign population. It must be a cultural issue. I have ended up bored of offering free first-class wine tastings and not having the necessary quorum. It's sad but this is a business and you have to base it on what is most profitable".

Of the 75 denominations of origin that exist in Spanish territory, Gran Bodega del Maestrazgo has close to sixty. And José, who puts passion, hours and enthusiasm into moving forward with the project that mixes tradition and modernity, makes a final reflection: "The best wine is yet to be made". Well, all the better for all of us who will continue to enjoy and seek the excellence of one of the many pleasures that the earth gives us. Cheers!

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM GRAN BODEGA DEL MAESTRAZGO

I cannot leave the winery without doing what I have been doing for more than 14 years. Asking José about the wines that are currently performing best and most in the winery. Those little gems where the quality-price ratio is always more than balanced and justified.

I ask him for a red, a white, a rosé and a cava: so that NBP readers, when organizing a dinner, can surprise their guests. José Moliner Nicolás's word:

RED

Ultreia (Saint Jacques) by Raúl Pérez. Price: €12 "It is a 100% mencía that is very fresh but at the same time has a very vibrant tannin. A tasty wine to accompany any meat or fish. The mencía has presented itself to the world and we would say that it is currently governing it. A few years ago it was unthinkable that a mencía could be drunk both in summer and in winter. A simply brutal wine."

WHITE

CULTIVARE by Domènech Vidal. Price: €20 "A wine that has given us much satisfaction, and it is not an economical wine. The vinification of whites is often more delicate and costly than that of reds. You can encounter many more problems, which is why prices are sometimes somewhat higher. It is a 100% xarel·lo, vinified in 3 phases; it is aged in steel, barrel and kept in cement. A very varietal wine, very fresh, aromatic and at the same time with a lot of texture, long and with muscle. You don't notice the acrimony or the heaviness of the barrel. A perfect wine, a brutality."

ROSÉ

Pla dels Àngels by Scala Dei. Price: €18.50 "The best rosé ever made in Catalonia, it is an authentic benchmark. Very little elaboration. They work with old Catalan garnachas that are a marvel for the palate. Vinification with 500-liter vats. It's a little toy, very few bottles, a great job has been done. Always seeking excellence in quality. A great wine in every sense."

CAVA

Serral del Vell de Recaredo. Price: 32 € "We are talking about a Gran Reserva with everything the definition indicates. The words that could define it: unctuous, long, exciting, ecological, varietal... Wow, it has it all. A cava that once you try it you will remember for years."